Archives for June 2013

The last stop of our summer vacation is Dahilayan in Bukidnon. Dahilayan is known for its adventure park. Their claim to fame is having “Asia’s Longest Dual Zipline. And if you have seen that KC Concepcion movie, Forever and A Day, there were scenes that were shot here. Dahilayan is a 2-hour drive from Cagayan de Oro. We hired the taxi that brought us to EL Salvador for P2,300 (roundtrip). A cheaper alternative is to ride the shuttle bus available every Saturday. The fee is P350 roundtrip.

We passed by the Del Monte compound and plantation on our way there.Security was tight which was expected after that bloody encounter early this year. Security came up to our taxi to tell us that we were not allowed to photograph the plantation. What we were really interested was to take a photo of the beautiful Kitanglad mountain range. The real thing is so much prettier. My cousin was able to photograph this before we were told off.

We came early so we able to appreciate the beauty of the place without the crowd. Bukidnon is at a higher elevation with temperature similar to Baguio (they say) which is great for growing beautiful flowers. I took snapshots of the beautiful flowers in the area.

If you are not into riding the zipline, there are other activities which you can get involved in. You can ride the luge in this area.

You may ride an ATV.

No budget for the actual ride! Besides, this one transports the zorb ball. ha!

My aunts just explored the place. There are a lot of photo opportunities in the area.

The owners planted 5,000 pine trees in the area around ten years ago so this is what it looks like now.

After the taking a many photos as possible, we went to the zip line area. We were beginners low on cash (haha!) so we opt for the 320m +120m dual zipline. Here we are strapped ready for the adventure.

It was a short ride. It was not scary at all. I should have tried the 840m. Our snapshot was not yet processed but it was time for us to go so we left without proof of what we have accomplished. Well, there is always next time.

I am a Catholic but I am not deeply religious. However, one thing I learned from father is that God is merciful as long as you repent for your sins. A great example is that criminal who was crucified beside Jesus. The criminal said something like, “Jesus, remember me when you enter your kingdom.” To which Jesus answered something like, ” Today, you will be with me in paradise.” I believe that we will go to heaven through God’s mercy.

Anyway, I don’t want to impose my faith on anyone. I still believe in democracy- religious freedom, free speech, etc. We can all live together in harmony.

Anyway, after the Camiguin trip, we spent the night in Cagayan de Oro. The following morning, after we had breakfast, we hired a taxi to bring us to the Divine Mercy Shrine in El Salvador City, Misamis Oriental. From Cagayan de Oro, one can reach El Salvador in less than an hour.

The Divine Mercy Shrine was established years ago through donations from generous individuals and groups. The place is huge and peaceful. There is a strict dress code. Shorts are not allow and female visitors must wear skirts. I already anticipated the dress code but I thought pants are allowed for women. I wore a wide pants which the guard approved.

Guard-approved pants. I love the flowers here.

Wrap-around skirts are available at the entrance for those who did not follow the dress code. Voluntary donations for this service are welcomed. Tada! My companions are all wearing skirts! ( Saan ang sayawan? Kidding!)

However, the lady in prayer room noticed my pants and told me to wrap my shawl around my waist. I don’t see the logic behind this instruction but I followed anyway.

The main attraction to this place is the really large statue of the Divine Mercy.

The place is huge. I love the well-manicured garden.

Look at my aunt. She looked like she was in some palace grounds in France.

The statue was undergoing repainting when we went there. Nevertheless, the place is immaculately divine.

We wanted to save our hotel budget so we purposely wanted to spend only one night in Camiguin. We chose to stay overnight at Camiguin Highland Resort. The hotel is far from the town proper. When we arrived in the afternoon, we spent the rest of the day at the hotel. Aside from us, there was only one other group booked in the hotel so we look like we own the place. We had the pool all to ourselves.

We got in touch with a multicab driver and arranged for a day tour for the next day. We already told him that we are staying in Highland and that we intended to leave Camiguin in the afternoon. He agreed to fetch us at the resort at 5AM.

The first stop was at Katibawasan falls. It is near the resort so we do not have to go back. Katibawasan falls drop at 75 meters. It is so tall that it does not fit the frame of my camera.

White Island is the next stop for us. They say the best time to go is early in the morning when the waters are calm. Remember when Charlene Gonzalez was asked in the Miss Universe pageant how many islands are there in the country and she replied, “High tide or low tide?”. Well, this island disappears during high tide.

You need to hire a boat to go to the island.

From the white island, you can see Mt. Hibok-hibok.

We had breakfast here. There were temporary sheds just for the summer where one can buy some food. We spent around 30 to 40 minutes here and off we went to Ardent hot springs. Because we came here early, there were few people around so, again, we looked like we own the place. We love this place. I love the canopy of trees and the hot spring.

We really swam our hearts out here until we got hungry. Ha! The provincial roads in Camiguin are all paved. It is normal so pretty sights like this one.

Let me take a break to introduce you to our multicab. Yes, our multicab. I forgot to take a photo of Kuya Dan. Kuya Dan is one with a cap in the photo below. We hired Kuya Dan through the recommendation from a thread in Girltalk. He is a good driver.

Below is his contact details.

This is the old volcano.

When it erupted hundreds (or was it thousands?) of years ago, it sank this cemetery that only the cross can be seen today.

We had lunch at the soda pool. It is called a soda pool because the spring water from the volcano is naturally carbonated. No, it did not taste like softdrink but it tasted clean and fresh.

And this was our lunch. There is hut outside the pool area that accepts orders.

We were full so we were ready to go to our last destination, Sto Nino Cold Spring.

On our way, Kuya Dan pointed out the Tres Marias. Can you spot what they are?

Kuya Dan also showed us the area that faces the port of Cagayan de Oro.

This is the Sto. Nino Cold Springs. Brrr!

This is our last stop and Kuya Dan brought us to port where we waited for the fast craft going to Balingoan. This is the sunset that bid us goodbye as we arrived at the port signaling the end of our day trip.

I live a few hours away from this place yet this was my first time to set foot in Camiguin. I think I am going to keep coming back. 😀

The whirring of the tricycles in the streets signals the start of schools. When early in the morning children are ushered off to their schools, summer is officially over! But does it really have to end? We can extend the summer by getting involved in fun activities that remind us of summer. This is a self-serving list because this documents what happened this summer- my summer.

If you have read my previous blog post, you know that have lamented over having a busy schedule. I reminded myself of what matters most: people. If somebody needs my presence, I try to be there. Nobody ever regretted not having time for work. Even with a full workload, I try to make the most of summer. These are the things I did last summer which are not really season-dependent, these things can be done all year round.

1. Take the road less traveled.

My cousin came for a visit and we went to visit her parents. The house is located in an unpaved area of the city where tricycles refused to go so we just walked.

I welcome the green scenery and we found friends. Quack! Quack!

2. Explore you own city.

This might be difficult to do in the streets of Metro Manila as pollution and traffic can easily wear you down. Try UP Academic Oval, Quezon Memorial Circle and La Mesa Ecopark. 😀

The ubiquitous orange tricycle is the king of the road in my city.

3. Enjoy the burst of colors in flowers.

Can you see the eensy weensy spider?

4. Chomp on street food and summer coolers.

Making tuhog2x the fishball. HA!

This is the ultimate summer food. Halo-halo!

5. Play with cute kids. My nephew grew fast.

6. Visit nearest pool.

We were back at Sprinkles and they have installed their water slides which gave us the license to act like kids. HA!

7. Attend a town fiesta!

May is fiesta time in Butuan and Gingoog! Yes, we were in both fiestas- the first one as a host and the latter as a guest.

This is the simple fiesta menu at home.

This is part of the dessert table at my aunt’s house in Gingoog.

8. Vote!

I know you cannot vote all year round. heheh However, you can actively participate in the different issues in the country by letting your voice be heard even through social media.

9. Hit the nearest beach. In our case, we went out of town to… Camiguin! I will blog more about that trip. On the foreground is Camiguin’s White Island where you have to ride that boat to reach the island. The volcano in the background is Mt. Hibok-Hibok.

10. Listen to music.

When it comes to music, I always ask my friend, Gail, for suggestions. She knows what’s hip (and not necessary popular). She mentioned this excellent guitarist, Igor Presnyakov. Nice!